MEMORIES OF MAIDENHEAD

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What he didn’t realise was that in 1967 the new Town Hall’s frontage was to feature as the Hospital in Carry On Doctor, with Barbara Windsor pictured filming a scene there. A Clay Kit has been donated by nearby pottery company Keeeps to Harry Marland, 12, to ensure he can carry on his newfound hobby. I’d like to express a huge thank you to all the students from Beech Lodge School and their teachers for helping us mark this splendid occasion.”

There was little choice of clothes, if you wanted to wear anything different we had to make do and mend. Chocolate, sweets and ice-creams were a rarity. London took a terrible pounding with many casualties and night after night we could see the flames in the distance. In the early days of the war Maidonians took cover in air raid shelters and cellars when the sirens sounded but when nothing happened we returned to the comfort of our own beds. The return of peace time gave the local Town Council the opportunity to start redevelopment of Maidenhead. There was a desperate shortage of housing and one of the first tasks was to build a new estate at Pinkneys Green. The new roads were named after RAF aircraft. The agenda starts with the question of whether to apply for a government grant to improve a council property on Denmark Street. Mr Bayford from the Public Health team is seen talking to the owner of Steventon’s Stores (“Phone 386”!)They also rejected the proposal of a higher springboard at the (outdoor) swimming pool, because it was not sufficiently deep enough.

My parents seemed to enjoy eating cooked hearts, I ate them but not if I could help it! They were horrible but no choice. We modelled the sculpture in a style that we felt conveyed the animal's appealing nature. Hopefully it will be enjoyed by those who encounter it for years to come.” As part of the celebration, one student from Beech Lodge School was chosen to receive a special prize due to his creative sculpture design. Although German bombers could be heard nearly every night, Maidenhead never interested them. There was nothing worth bombing. When they were formed, The Home Guard had little or no equipment – they armed themselves with shotguns and pistols and wore armbands because there were no proper uniforms.

The Lion

Maidenhead was a dreary place, there were three cinemas, the Rialto, Plaza and the Ritz but few people ventured out at night.

I continued to do my paper round and discovered that one of my customers was George Allison, the manager of Arsenal Football Club. It was also reported that of 100 samples of milk taken for quality assessment by the public health department, 97 were assessed as Grade 1. A big thank you to Shanly Homes for letting us get involved in such a key part of Maidenhead’s history and legacy." There was a rush by men of 40 and over to join the newly formed Local Defence Volunteers (LDV), later renamed The Home Guard. The sculpture is made from pieces of mild steel which have been beaten into shape then welded together.

Writings on the wall

We moved to Maidenhead in 1961, when I was 10. I didn't particularly want to but my parents said I could go and see "Village of the Damned" at the ABC cinema on the day we moved and that swung it for me - I was easily pleased. My parents bought their first house here - a maisonette - for about 2000. Times have changed. The pub is prominently located on Gringer Hill, in a densely populated residential suburb, approximately one mile north of the town centre and mainline station. I saw it quite clearly and stood trembling with fear waiting for an explosion. An explosion never came. The commentary was provided by the Mayor, who is also seen on screen performing duties and catching a bus. At home, his poor wife looks like more like a servant than his life partner. In 1960, Maidenhead was home to 30,000 people (it was just over 70,000 in 2020), and was a very different place to today.